Death Before Dinner
by A-GIRL-NAMED-BILLY
Summary: Depressing things happen to those who don't deserve it. T to be safe. Do we want a chapter 5? reviews pease or I go into lonliness!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer-** Don't own but I borrowed it anyway.

A/N- It's a crap load better than my first but then again I know what I'm talking about in Harry Potter. Read and nice Reviews

**August 3rd 1981**

"Dinner," James called. Lily, Sirius, and Lily's friend Danielle lay in their stomachs in the other room, playing with baby Harry.

"If it's burnt I refuse to eat it," Danielle teased James, whose strength had never been in cooking but which still resided in his Quidditch abilities.

"Shut up. I can cook," James insisted.

"Making bad toast in the mornings and overfilling your cereal bowl doesn't count." Lily said, picking Harry up and setting him in the highchair. Then she sat down beside her husband. Danielle and Sirius looked at each other, then snorted and looked away. Yes, they have clearly matured from their days at Hogwarts.

"Shush," James said, looking sideways at his wife.

"You're so nice," Danielle teased, taking her seat next to Sirius.

"She was mocking me," James said, pretending to be hurt. His voice squeaked slightly, sounding mildly outraged.

"You're such a wimp." Danielle told him. Sirius looked at her questioningly.

"Who uses the word 'wimp'?" Sirius asked.

"You shut up too," Danielle told him.

"This is going to be a quiet table," Lily said. Danielle snorted as Sirius passed her a piece of relatively black…something.

"Um, James," Danielle said, "Do you mind if Lily cooks from now on?" She smiled, and then ducked out of the way, as James had thrown a butter knife at her.

"Shut up," he grumbled, looking at his plate. He cut a piece of meat and they all watched as he attempted to eat it. Suddenly the meat came flying out across the table, nearly taking out Sirius. Danielle snorted.

"Glad I wasn't the first to try it." Danielle said, watching James wipe his mouth.

"Lils, do you wanna?"

"Lily smiled sweetly, "Sure." She stood up, "Lasagna fine with everybody? I can make it quick." They all agreed. Lily started to make the food while the other three sat in silence. James stood up and walked around the kitchen to stand behind his wife. He put his head on her shoulder and watched her work. She did like to do things as the Muggles did, without using her magic.

"I'm gonna-- I'm gonna go for a walk," Danielle said, "Sirius you wanna--?"

"Yeah," he stood up and followed her out of the house. "That was close," he said, once they were safely outside in the warm August air.

"Oh you know you liked it," Danielle said, smiling as she kicked a pinecone down the road.

"If I had liked it why would I have come with you?" She glared at him, "Ha, I win," his tone was close to expressionless but not real 'I don't care' expressionless, but the kind Sirius used so often.

"Yes, cheer. You win. I will kill you if you say 'what's my prize?'" He laughed. "Do you think they're done yet?"

"I hope so," Sirius said.

"Okay, then let's go back and eat." Danielle turned around first. She was the first to process what the scream meant. She glanced at Sirius. They took the scream to mean what it did, that something was wrong. "Come on," Danielle urged, tearing down the road back toward the Potter's house. They skidded to a stop at the end of the driveway, looking up at the house. Danielle turned her head slightly.

"Let's hope that scream did not come from here," she said.

"Let's hope a lot," Sirius agreed walking forward up the driveway towards the house. As the walked, they could tell something was wrong. There was an eerie feeling about the house. Just breathing kept the scene from normality.

The heavy front door was open, while the door made mostly of glass was closed. "Someone came in here," Sirius concluded, "I was second out and made sure I shut the door."

"Or somebody left," Danielle said.

"Or both. Maybe someone came and then left."

"That's how most people are. The go somewhere and then they leave." Sirius gave a shaky laugh at Danielle's feebly attempt at humor. He pulled open the door. "I'll go first," Danielle said.

"I could—"

"Sirius, sit." Danielle mounted the stairs and stepped into the house. It was dead silent except for the crying of baby Harry. As she saw when she stepped in properly, there was good reason for the _dead_ silence. "James," she whispered. "Sirius, stay out there." She moved toward James. Lying motionless on the wooden floor. She knelt and touched his hand.

Cold as ice.

"Lily," she said her voice shaking.

The infant continued to cry.


	2. He Went to Find Peter

"Sirius," Danielle said standing up. She looked around. Pictures she had never paid attention to before now stood out vividly in her vision. Herself and Lily at the Potter's wedding, laughing, James and Sirius the day they graduated Hogwarts. Herself, Lily, and the rest of the Marauders standing together smiling before the real war had begun. Of course, it had been going on, but before they had gotten involved in the Order and everything else. "Lily?" she said again.

She walked around to see Harry, crying still, though softer now. She walked towards him looking at him curiously. She noticed the small scratch on his forehead, bleeding ever so slightly. "Oh Harry," she took another half step forward, and then looked down at her feet.

Lily laid there on her back, beautiful, blank, almond shaped emerald eyes staring unblinking up at the ceiling. Her red hair lay sprawled behind her on the floor. She realy was beautiful. Danielle saw now why _every_ kid at Hogwarts had wanted Lily to be his girlfriend. Once again, Danielle knelt, took her friend's hand and tried to check for a pulse. She felt nothing except cold clammy flesh beneath her shaking fingertips. "I've never been good at that," she said, trying hard to smile back tears. "Checking a pulse. I could never feel it and it was always strange trying to check the heartbeats of my parents when I was eight while they talked me through it step by step and I could never do it. I always wanted to find it, but I never could. Now I wish more than ever that I _could_ feel a pulse Lily." She clenched her teeth and swallowed hard.

"Lily what about Harry?" she asked her friend? Lily—," she inhaled sharply trying hard not to cry. "Lily please." But Lily did not respond, she made no indication that she could hear her friend, and as it was there was no reason she should make that indication, for she could not hear a word.

For the first time Danielle recognized the roaring sound, very close by. So close in fact that the sound might be in the backyard. Suddenly and unexpectedly, an enormous shadow erupted out of nowhere from the blackness now gathering outside the back door.

Danielle jumped to her feet faster than a bird taking flight and drew her wand, as the door was pulled slowly open. Twice the size of a normal person, Rubeus Hagrid stood in the doorway.

"'ello Danielle," he said, stepping into the house and closing the door behind him. "You 'eard 'fore I did I suppose."

Danielle swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "I was here the whole time," she said, "me and Sirius. We went for a walk and," she allowed herself a few seconds to keep her breath. "We heard her scream. I came back in here and," she stopped again, "and here they are." Despite her protest tears filled her eyes, "Damn!" she said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"'s all right," he said consolingly patting her as gently as he could on the shoulder, so that she had to fight to stay standing. "I saw 'im. Sirius, 'e gave me 'is motorbike. Said 'e didn't need it anymore.

"Strange," Danielle said, "So Hagrid, what are you here for?"

"Dumbledore sent me. Said I'm ter pick up little 'arry 'ere and take 'im ter 'is aunt and uncle's 'ouse in Surrey."

"Aunt as in Petunia?" she asked. She had heard Lily say this name before. Petunia, Lily's sister, whom Lily had never liked much, and, as far as Danielle could gather, who despised Lily in every way for being a witch. "Hagrid, you can't take him there. She's _not_ a good person to be dropping Harry off with."

"Got to Danielle," He said, picking Harry up gently out of the chair, "Dumbledore's orders."

"I'd take him," Danielle offered.

"Can't, Sirius said the same thing, Dumbledore said 'e's ter stay with 'is aunt and uncle."

"They wouldn't mind if I took him," Danielle protested.

"I don't doubt that," Hagrid said, "but."

"Petunia would be horrible to him. She always hated Lily."

"It's not my decision," Hagrid said, wrapping Harry in a blanket and preparing to leave.

"Where's Sirius?" she asked, suddenly remembering, "You saw him did he say where he was going?"

"Said he wanted to find Peter. He said Lily and James were dead so I said ter 'im I already knew and I was on me way to go and get Harry. He said the same thing you did. 'where are you going to take him?' I told him 'he's ter go with his aunt and uncle and he told me what you did 'I'll take him' I told him what I told you, 'Dumbledore's orders Sirius,' I said, 'he's ter go ter 'is aunt's. So that when he gave me the bike and said 'e was goin' ter look for Peter." Hagrid said.

"Peter as in Peter Pettigrew? Worm—," she stopped short. Hagrid didn't know about Wormtail being Wormtail, or any of the others, not that he would mind, but that would be a long story she did not have time to tell. She had to find Sirius just then.

"That's what 'e told me," said Hagrid. He pulled a pocketwatch out of one of the many pockets in his jacket and surveyed it for a few seconds. "I'm late," he said, stuffing the watch away again.

"For what?"

"Fer meetin' Dumbledore." And with that, he simply turned around, climbed onto the motorcycle and rode away into the almost complete nighttime darkness.


	3. You'll See

Danielle watched him for a few seconds before he realized that _she needed to find Sirius before he found Peter._ Who knew what that psycho kid would do if he found Peter? She turned and walked back into the entrance room. The sight of James still lying there without motion on the clean wooden floor made her stomach churn horribly. Averting her eyes from that sickening sight she moved over to the banister by the stairs.

She moved Sirius's cloak aside she took her warm fleece and satin cloak around her shoulders and fastened it around her neck. She walked out the open front door and received a shock to find two men standing just outside the door.

Embroidery on the left side of the chest on their cloaks told her they were from the Ministry of Magic.

"Hello," said one.

"Hi," Danielle said hesitantly, putting a precautionary hand on her wand.

"There won't be a need for that." the other wizard said, "_Expelliarmus_!"

More expectedly than it would have been had the wizard been smart enough to use nonverbal spells Danielle's wand left her hand and the wizard caught it. "Whoa! What the frick man? What was that for?"

"We received the knowledge that an Unforgivable Curse was used at this residence."

"Well I didn't do it so give me my wand back!" she held out her hand for the strip of wood. "Do you really think I'd kill Lily and James Potter?"

"So they are dead aren't they?" asked the first wizard.

"How did you find that out?" Both of them seemed to have a complete disregard for any feelings Danielle might have towards the predicament.

"Well I was just in the house wasn't I? And in answer to the first annoying question they are dead. Now, if you two haven't noticed this is a painful subject for me to talk about. So, if I can have my wand back I'll be on my mournful way." She shook her hand, indicating that she wanted it back.

"I can't do that Miss," said the wizard.

"Fine if you won't give it to me then I'll take it from you." She stepped forward, but was caught forcefully in the stomach by a spell from the other wizard. The back of her head hit the brick wall hard and she felt a hot dribble of blood run down the back of her neck. "Good one dummy. You just hit the back of my head with a brick wall! Now I'm bleeding and crap and I'm pissed! Now gimme the damn wand!" she stepped forward but the other two raised their wands in unison. "Fine, we'll do this the easy way." _Here Wandy!_ She thought in her head. The man holding her wand dropped it at once. The wand scooted over to her feet and she picked it up.

"What did you do to that thing?" the man asked, holding his left hand with his right. his left hand now looked like he had stuck it into a pot of boiling water for thirty seconds.

"It's a spell of my own invention. Someone I don't want to be holding my wand, I call my wand, it burns whoever's holding it and comes to me. I'm special enough I can put spells on my wand." She smiled at him and continued, "I win. Now do yourself a courtesy and get out of the way." She stepped forward intending to push past the two but heard Sirius's voice from inside the house. "Cool," she said excitedly, "now I don't have to go and find him." She turned around and headed back into the house to find Sirius.

He wasn't there. What was there was one of the mirrors Sirius and James had used to talk to each other. Sirius's face was looking out of it. He caught sight of her and she said, "Sirius, where are you?" She walked over and picked up the mirror.

"I'm looking for Peter, the scumbag."

"Why's he a scumbag all of a sudden?" Danielle asked, peering more intently at Sirius's reflection.

"You'll see. What I need you to do right now is come to Peter's house. That's where I am, and where he's not. I need you to help me find him."

"Okay? Why are we going on a mad Peter-finding spree all of a sudden?"

"I told you already _you'll see._"


	4. Where Peter Went

**Disclaimer-**so sad, don't own read anyway.

**A/N-** I know I never write A/N, but I remember this time. chapter 5, there's going to be a chapter 5!!!

Danielle decided that whatever the other two wizards told her, she would still have to go help Sirius. She knew full well that if Sirius wanted to find Peter badly enough that he sure and heck would be able to do it, it was just the matter of what would happen when Sirius found Peter, apparently "the scumbag."

_Something's wrong_ thought Danielle, _well of course something's wrong. Lily and James are dead for one, Sirius is on a potentially violent Peter finding spree and I could be in trouble with the Ministry. This isn't anyone's night is it?_

"Sorry if this is going to make you mad but I really have to go," Danielle said, turning to face the other two, who were standing, and who had been watching her from behind "_Now_" she said. She was not quite sure they understood _why_ it was so urgent that she leave.

"Why do you have to leave now all of a sudden?" The first wizard asked.

"Do you want another murder to happen tonight? Sirius is pissed and for some reason he's pissed at Peter Pettigrew. I don't know if either of you know Peter, but he's no match, _no match_ for Sirius. I need to leave now to stop him from doing whatever he's doing."

"What makes you so sure he's going to kill Mr. Pettigrew?" The second wizard asked.

"Excuse me, but did you not just hear him? Did you hear what I heard? Peter did something wrong. Something drastically wrong and on the night Lily and James died. Sirius found this out when he saw James lying dead on the floor. I'm willing to bet he's got something to do with this. Maybe it's just you, but I don't want to let Sirius commit murder. Do you?"

"If this Peter character's guilty of whatever you're accusing him of then why do you want to save him?"

"Because if I don't Sirius goes to Azkaban. Sirius goes to Azkaban for murder and you two work there, at the Ministry. You know Crouch. He won't give him a trial. He'll send him straight there for life. I don't know about you, but I'm gonna do what I can to prevent that from happening. I don't know how you two are gonna feel about me telling you this, but I'm leaving whether you like it or not." She pictured Peter's house in her mind, concentrated on getting herself into it and turned, careful not to step on James's fingers.

"What's so urgent Sirius?" she asked upon entering.

"It's Peter," he ranted. She looked at him, and found that he was pacing with his knuckles to his chin. _Since when do you pace back and forth?_ She thought.

"Clearly," she agreed, "It's Peter who did what?"

"Told him!" Sirius shouted, turning to face her and dropping his hand to his side dramatically.

"Told him what?" Danielle shouted back trying to make Sirius get tired of the shouting and relax a bit.

"Told him where they were." Sirius said; his voice was lower now, and almost raspy.

"Wait, 30 seconds. What? Peter told Voldemort where Lily and James where. He couldn't do that, you where the—,"

"I was going to be the Secret Keeper. I told Peter to do it and he took advantage of it. They're dead, and they're dead because he betrayed them. They're dead because Peter told Voldemort where Lily and James where hiding." His last sentence was said with more meaning in the words than Danielle had ever heard him speak with.

"How do you know?"

"Danielle," and now his voice was quiet, but that didn't stop it from shaking as your hands do when you're exceedingly nervous about something. "I knew he was Secret Keeper, him and no one else. If I didn't tell and you didn't tell and he was the only Secret Keeper _who else could have told?_"

"I don't know, but it really doesn't seem like Peter. He wouldn't do that."

"He's a coward!" Sirius exclaimed, "He's a coward and Voldemort knew it. Voldemort's not stupid. He knew how to get information out a person. He knew weaknesses. Peter's weakness, was that you could threaten him and have whatever information you wanted out of him. Come on we have to find him."

"Where will he be?" Danielle asked, knowing that their first hope of finding Peter was already exhausted because Peter wasn't at his house.

"If I knew where he would be then you wouldn't be here. You have to tell me where he is."

"Sirius, he doesn't have that spiffy little phone I can track him on! How am I supposed to go and find him without that?"

"You're not stupid, you figure it out."

"Psht! _Spelliaus Revelio!" _She waved her wand in a circle above. The house went dark but faint green light illuminated certain parts of the house. Sirius looked over at her with an 'I didn't know you could do that?' look on his face.

"_You_ can't. But _I_ can," Danielle said. She looked around, analyzing the colored spots. He Apparated from here," she said.

"Okay? What do we do with that?"

"Come here." She stood on the spot of light she had been indicating and Sirius moved to stand beside her. She looked at him. "Sirius," she said as though he was being very dim.

"What?" he asked.

"Side-along-apparition." She told him.

"Oh," he said. He took hold of her arm just above her elbow.

"Hang on," she said.


	5. With the Rats

AN: Two years later and I'm finally updating.

Disclaimer: Don't even ask if I own it (I don't know).

Death Before Dinner: **With the Rats**

Danielle inhaled sharply and deeply after the compression of Apparition. She blinked and looked around as Sirius released her arm. "Where is he?" Sirius muttered, moving his feet, walking slowly forward, very conscious of his surroundings.

"Peter?" said Danielle. If she could find Peter and talk to him before Sirius did, she would figure out what this was all about. On the other hand, with the way Sirius was acting, she was not sure she wanted to know what was going on. If she reacted the same way Sirius had, Peter was in deep trouble.

"Peter!" Sirius shouted. Peter turned. His hair was mousey and unruly as always. He looked nervous and twitchy, which was not too far out of the ordinary for him.

"S-Sirius. D-Danielle. Wh-what's happened? What's the matter?"

"You're what's the matter Peter," said Sirius, completely disregarding the Muggles standing all around them.

"Sirius what are you going on about? What's he done that's so wrong?"

"He gave them up!" Sirius whirled around to face Danielle, looking very different than she had ever seen him.

"He can't have!" she said, looking at Sirius. "You Sirius, you were their…no, no you didn't." But he must have. Even as she tried to deny it to herself, it all made perfect sense. If Sirius had been Lily and James's Secret Keeper, and Voldemort had found them, then he must have been the one who told him. Sirius had come with Danielle outside.

"Danielle it isn't like that," said Sirius, approaching her.

"Don't!" she yelled, putting her hands up in defense.

"You have to --," he began, but she wouldn't hear it. He put his hands on her shoulders trying to stop her from backing further away.

"Back up!" said Danielle, now starting to sound hysterical, even to herself. She put both her hands on one of his arms and pushed him away. Even as she did it, her hands burnt his jacket. He stepped back with a yell, alarmed and in pain. People were staring, and had probably been for the last minute or so. "You gave them up! _You_ led him to Lily and James."

"You've got it wrong," Sirius told her, his hand on his arm where he had been burnt.

"SHUT UP!" she said, "It's your fault and you're trying to pin it on Peter! You're trying to save yourself."

"Would you listen to yourself? Why would I have done that? We switched at the last moment Danielle. You can't believe I would give them up like that." She just looked at him. "Check." She knew what he meant, and before she did anything serious that she would regret, she decided to make sure.

Most of the Order knew Occlumency, which was very useful, and if Sirius was trying to get her to 'check' his honesty, she assumed he wouldn't use it. If he did, she would be able to tell, which would prove there was something to hide. Dumbledore had taught her, upon her request, how to perform Occlumency's reverse, Legilemency, and she was good at it.

She did check, saw a blur of shapes, Sirius, his mother, his little brother, James, Lily, herself, and then Peter. It had been a shock to him to find out about Lily and James, though it had only happened an hour ago. He couldn't have known about it. "Sirius," her voice was barely a whisper. She was so guilty, so shocked that Peter could have done what she knew he must have. "Wow," again a whisper then "Peter!" nearly a shout as she remembered he was there.

She could see a small shiny something in his hand. "Peter don't." she said, knowing what he was going to do. He ignored her and she heard his scream as she watched him draw his wand, and put it behind his back. "No Peter!" He was going to fake it, she could tell…

_BANG!_

A huge blast went off behind Peter, tearing the street apart for fifty feet in all directions of him. Danielle and Sirius saw him transform and he scurried underground with the rats.

**AN: I don't know if you guys like it or what. I guess I think it's ok…again I don't know. My only thing is that I know I ramble on too much and I think it's annoying but as I say I can't really judge my own writing.**

**I don't really know if this is considered complete. As of right now it is, but I could have it go on to follow Sirius and Danielle after this whole business, like her visiting him and stuff…**_**shut up brain shut up!**_**. Tell me what you guys think or want or whatever…**

(Do excuse any typos, I can fix those but for now, my fingers are stupid and I can barely read my screen…hehe.)

**Also one last thing Legilemency and Occlumency, I'm not too sure if those are spelled right and I don't feel like checking my book to find out so if someone awesome wants to check and tell me I'm right or wrong then that person would be awesome…****************.**


End file.
